We traveled to Rapid City, SD on Monday, January 2, to take my mom to the airport on January 3. We stayed at the Country Inn and Suites off exit 59, and we really enjoyed our stay.

It was a pretty nice hotel. I hadn't stayed in one since traveling with sports teams in college, and I wasn't sure what it would be like, but they had a family suite, which I am a big fan of, continental breakfast, which I am always on the lookout for, and a pool.

I checked Priceline, Expedia, and several hotels online before I found what I thought I was looking for. I called the hotel to double check some things. Sometimes a hotel will bill a room as a suite, when it's really just a room with a sofa bed stuck in it. It's really nice when that suite actually comes with separate bedroom and living room areas.

The young man whom I spoke with on the phone was very friendly, and answered all of my questions. I asked about the price, and he quoted one much higher than what I had seen online, so I asked about it. He looked it up, and found there was an online special, which he was able to go ahead and book for me so I didn't have to get off the phone, go back to the computer, and book it myself. I thought that was very nice.

Having a continental breakfast saves our family at least $20, and that's if we ate of the dollar menu at McDonald's! I can easily figure that into the price of a hotel room, not to mention the convenience and time factor of not having to go get something else. (It saved us a ton of money and time in Disneyland!) And I have to say, that this continental breakfast was excellent. They had waffles, biscuits, eggs, sausage (set up in a tray where it was easy to make sausage egg biscuits or a combination), OJ, very good oatmeal, plain yogurt (which no one ever has!), several different fruits, a pastry selection, including donuts, muffins, bagels and english muffins (another treat you don't often see), and a selection of cereals. The coffee was really good, which isn't always the case, and our family sat down in the nice, spacious breakfast area to enjoy our time together.

There was this awesome waterslide! I saw the picture on the internet and thought it was just going to be a slide, slide, but it was as great as a waterpark slide! A couple of twists with the running water that swooshes you right down, it was a blast! We spent a couple of hours playing in the pool!

The hotel itself was nice. The lobby is gorgeous. You feel right at home in their living room style conversation area, and they have a little lending library where you can sit down in one of the cozy armchairs and peruse a selection of books. Our girls dove right in! The staff was friendly and helpful, the fitness center, pool and business center all accessible and easy to get to. The elevator made funny noises when we went up to our room, and they called in maintenance personnel to look at it immediately when my husband mentioned it to the front desk.

Our room was very nice, spacious and roomy, separate bedroom and living area, televisions in both rooms, plenty of chairs and space in the seating area, and a nice large bathroom. It had closet space in both sections, which you don't always see, and is a very nice bonus. King sized bed in the bedroom, full size foldout, and a nice roomy chair for sleeping as well. There were a few small things. The door of the bathroom had some scratches on it and rust at the top, which I thought was really strange. It made it look old, when everything else in the entire hotel seemed brand new! My mom and brother had a double queen, and they thought their room was comfortable and spacious as well. When I had spoken with the young man to make the reservations I had asked that the rooms be close together, and they were right next door, so that was wonderful as well!

Overall, I was very pleased with this hotel. The value was excellent for what we spent, the service wonderful, accommodations very nice, breakfast lovely, and pool fun and family oriented. The resort fee (which seems to be the norm in Rapid City) also gives you discounts at TGI Friday's next door (which was already a good family deal, see previous blog), a local waterpark, and several other local attractions.

Next time you're in Rapid City, check out the Country Inn and Suites!

http://www.countryinns.com/rapid-city-hotel-sd-57702/sdrapcty